There is substantial clinical evidence that pre-eclampsia/eclampsia has a genetic basis. I plan to study families with a significant history of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia to find polymorphic DNA markers which cosegregate with the tendency to develop this disease. Identification of linkage wold be the first major step in establishing the genetic basis of severe pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. Once linkage is found, DNA markers will be developed which might be used clinically to test for a genetic susceptibility to pre-eclampsia. More importantly, we will then be able to begin the search for "the pre-eclamsia gene" and its products.